Baku, January the 20th, 1990

By Elshad Tagiev & Elin Suleymanov

Dear Friends,

On January the 20th, 1990, then the Soviet Army attacked the capital of
Azerbaijan, Baku. The attack was carried out at night without warning. As a
matter of fact, the representatives of Kremlin in Baku promissed just prior
to it that there would be none.

As a result of that military action, at least 160 civilians were killed,
scores of them injured. The order to use tanks and army against children
and women was signed by "the peace-maker" Gorbachev.

For a time we thought that it was the worst military action against
civilians in the former Soviet Union. It did not take long for the Russian
Army to disprove that. Soon after the Russian Army attacked the civilians
in Vilnius, participated in the massacre in Hojaly, Garabah, Kalbajar,
ethnic cleansing in Vladikavkaz and Abkhazia, war in Tajikistan, casually bombed
downtown Moscow, and, finally, has fully shown its "abilities" in Chechnya.
Just as before, the Russian army follows its "tradition" of indiscriminate
killing, thus causing death of people of different nationalities and ages.

The tragedy in Baku was significant as an indication of the Moscow's will to
use army against civilians despite all the casualties. It has also shown
rather strange western understanding of the Kremlin's behavior. This is a
very painful and separate topic, but only imagine what does one feel being
under open military offensive and listening to the words of support "to the
democratic changes".

Yeltsin, an opposition leader at that time, did not show much of the
sympathy to the victims. Perhaps, this was also a hint of the true nature
of this "democrat".

Since then, the use of army in politics has become even more usual,
independence even more formal, the refugee crises even deeper, laws more
senseless and human life even more depreciated. Therefore, the massacre in
Chechnya, although unprecented by its scale, was, probably predictable.

We never thought then, on the January 20th, that it could be worse. It is,
today in Grozny.

Remembering the victims of the Black January in Baku, as well as all of the
other victims of the Russian military, we pray for our brothers and sisters
in Chechnya. Let us hope that the world will not be so tolerant to use of
army against unarmed civilians and that the blood shed will teach us
something.

Amen!

Elshad Tagiev
Elin Suleymanov

e-mail: Elsad.Eldar.Tagiev@VSCHT.CZ
Prague, the Czech Republic

P.S. We wrote this not to provoke a political discussion, but to remember
the victims.